PANJIM: The State-level celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2024 (IDB 2024) was celebrated by the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) in association with National Biodiversity Authority on Wednesday.
The theme adopted this year was “Be part of the plan”, which is a call to action for all stakeholders to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, also referred to as ‘The Biodiversity Plan’.
Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, non-governmental organisations, lawmakers, businesses, and individuals are encouraged to highlight the ways in which they are supporting the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. Everyone has a role to play and therefore can be part of the plan.
Due to the ongoing code of conduct in force, this year the Goa State-level programme for celebration of International Day for Biological Diversity 2024, was held in hybrid mode at the conference hall of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), Saligao and the chairpersons and members of the Biodiversity Management Committees across Goa and many biodiversity enthusiasts joined the celebration online.
Secretary (Environment & Climate Change)Arun Kumar Mishra, IAS, GSPCB Chairman Mahesh Patil and Director of Environment and Climate Change and Member Secretary of Goa State Wetland Authority Johnson B Fernandes, Director of ICAR-CCARI Dr Parveen Kumar, Expert Board Member, Goa State Biodiversity Board Parag Rangnekar were present on the occasion.
In his welcome address, GSBB member secretary Dr Pradip Sarmokadam, highlighted the importance of biodiversity, achievements and conservation efforts of the Goa State Biodiversity Board.
In his address, Mishra, emphasised the importance of biodiversity and role of PBR in protecting biodiversity.
The highlight of the IDB-2024 hybrid celebration which was a presentation titled “Giants in the Backyard” by Rangnekar, who provided insights into local insect biodiversity, their ecological significance and need to protect them. The presentation was loaded with interesting observations captured in photographs about the various insects, arachnids and other lesser known fauna. It was an engaging presentation invoking a series of queries from the enthusiastic audience, states a press release.
